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Glossary
This glossary defines all terms and abbreviations used in
this publication that may be new or unfamiliar as well as
previously defined terms that you may want to look up.
The terms are defined as they apply to telephony.
This glossary includes terms and definitions from the
Dictionary of Computing
, SC20-1699.
The following cross-references are used in this glossary:
Contrast with. This refers to a term that has an
opposed or substantively different meaning.
See. This refers the reader to multiple-word terms
in which this term appears.
See also. This refers the reader to terms that have
a related, but not synonymous, meaning.
Synonym for. This indicates that the term has the
same meaning as a preferred term, which is defined
in the glossary.
Acronyms are defined under their expanded form.
A
ACD. Automatic call distribution.
ACD group. A set of service representatives assigned
to process incoming calls directed to the same dialed
number. The ACD feature of the switch routes an
incoming call to a member of the ACD group based on
such factors as availability of the member and length of
time since the member last completed an incoming call.
Agent. A call center employee whose job it is to handle
incoming and outgoing telephone calls.
ANI. Automatic number identification.
application. The use to which an information proc-
essing system is put, for example, a payroll application,
an airline reservation, a network application.
automatic call distribution (ACD). A PBX feature that
allows incoming calls to one dialed number to be routed
to any member of the ACD group, all of whom can
provide the same service to the calling party. Automatic
call distribution enables the efficient distribution of a high
volume of incoming calls.
automatic number identification (ANI). A service
offered by commercial telephone networks that provides
the billing directory number associated with a calling
party. This is the telephone number of the incoming call.
This information is used for call setup activities and can
be used by CallPath CallCoordinator for Windows as a
key for retrieving data from host computer applications.
C
call. An attempt by a caller to reach one or more
parties by using a telephone, whether or not the attempt
is successful.
call center. A customer business center where initial
access is by telephone. Examples of call centers
include help desks, order desks, and customer service
centers. Call center employees usually have terminals
for access to information stored in databases on host
computers.
caller. A person dialing into a call center’s telephone
system.
CallPath Services. An architecture that defines com-
munication between a computer and a telephone switch
so that a program on the computer can monitor and
influence the actions of the switch.
coordinated voice and data transfer. The function
where telephony data and a copy of a host screen are
sent from one agent to another when a call is trans-
ferred.
D
database. A collection of interrelated data stored
together with controlled redundancy according to a
schema to serve one or more applications.
dialed number identification service (DNIS). A
number supplied by the public telephone network to
identify the digits dialed. For example, two or more
1-800 numbers might both call the same call center
switch. DNIS tells the switch which of the 1-800
numbers was actually dialed. DNIS can be used by
CallPath CallCoordinator for Windows to automatically
select between several host computer applications.
DNIS. Dialed number identification service.
Copyright IBM Corp. 1994
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